


30 Day Fic Challenge

by melchixr



Category: Spring Awakening - Sheik/Sater
Genre: 30 Day OTP Challenge, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Multi, ernst is an art student and a total nerd, everything is fluff, hanschen is a piss baby law major, literally just a fuckin mess, they're in love and i will fight someone
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-10
Updated: 2016-11-14
Packaged: 2018-08-21 18:21:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8255731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melchixr/pseuds/melchixr
Summary: So for the month of August, I wrote one Hernst one-shot a day. This is what came out of that experiment. Lots and LOTS of fluff, pals.





	1. Day One: Meeting

Honestly, Hanschen couldn’t stand Starbucks. It was crowded, over hyped, and no doubt Melchior would have him pay the bill for the overpriced bean juice.

But here he was. Twenty minutes after he got the text from Melchior reading: ‘ _Meet me at the Starbucks on campus pls in fifteen minutes? I’m beg_ ’. But still, no sign of the boy who had demanded Hanschen’s attention.

He was ready to get up and leave. His coffee was already half empty and he was already half asleep. Maybe he should just go back to his apartment and pass out on his couch again, like he did from studying all night last night. He was about to get up and leave when he was ripped from his thought’s by a hand anxiously tapping at his shoulder.

“Excuse me!” A tiny, meek voice muttered from above Hanschen as soon as he yanked out his earbuds. Blue eyes darted up to see a boy, around Hanschen’s age, maybe a big younger. Or perhaps he just looked young. A total baby face.

But, a cute baby face.

Hanchen pulled out the other earbud, looking up with an open mouth. “Yes? How can I help you?”

The boy had a soft pink blush on his cheeks, staring down at his feet with wide eyes. “Hi I was just across the room and I was wondering if I could just….maybe….erm well….”

He began to gnaw at the nail of his index finger. As he did, Hanschen noticed the pencil smudges coloring the underside of his palm gray. “Well?” Hanschen chuckled, pausing his Spotify playing Anything Goes on repeat,  “Spit it out!”

“Well I wanted to draw you!”

The words came out in a long and fast string of mumbles. Before he could even help it, Hanschen chuckled. “Well. Sure…But…why?” He quirked an eyebrow slyly, letting his bottom lip slide between his teeth to make the other lose almost all of his focus.

This poor fucking kid.

“Well, I…You see….A candid portrait is due in thirty minutes and….well I haven’t done anything yet,” The brunette shifted his weight from left and right. Hanschen looked over the other student’s blushing cheeks over tanned skin.

Hanschen nodded, shrugging his shoulders lightly before leaning back in his seat. “Tell me what to do then, Mister Artist.”

When Melchior finally arrived, Hanschen had been sitting there, looking down at his coffee for about twenty minutes. His earbuds were both in, but nothing played. And Ernst sat in the chair across from him where Melchior was supposed to sit, leaning back and scribbling away, trying to get the way Hanschen’s hair fell into his face  just right. Or maybe the shading on his protruding cheekbones and lips drawn into a neutral expression.

“You’re….Late….” The blond muttered through gritted teeth as soon as Melchior approached the table.

The artist looked, brown eyes shooting a glare at Hanschen, “Quit moving! I’m nearly done!”

Hanschen nodded, going right back to his expressionless face. This caused Melchior to chuckle. “Oh wow, Hanschen. You ditched me for an art kid?  
  


“He isn’t just art kid, he has a name!” Hanschen scoffed, looking back up and breaking his pose one more time. He then realized that he had no idea what this boy’s name was. And how on earth he had enjoyed just sitting in front of him and being told to sit still. “Which is….What exactly?”

“Ernst! Now sit still!” He snapped, flicking his eraser at Hanschen with a teasing sigh.

Hanschen sat back, rolling his shoulders forward and staring back at his now cold coffee. Still, he wasn’t able to hold back a smile. “Well, I’m Hanschen. Are you done yet?”


	2. Day Two: Realization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanschen and Ernst have become best friends. Best friends who just so happen to be dating without realizing it.

Asking one of you friends to model for you is normal. Asking your close, funny, completely straight friend to model for you for every single project you have is more than normal. Beyond normal!

Artists have muses, right? Di Vinci had muses. So did Rembrandt. And Warhol. And Monet. And that one earless guy.  Completely platonic muses who are straight and have no problem with sitting with you for at least an hour a week.

Complete heterosexual muses who call you the moment you get out of ceramics, making you answer you cell with flaky clay still dried to your fingers.

Just a bro. And a muse.

Bro-muse.

“Hello?”

“Hey Ernie, you just got out of your last class, right?” Hanschen asked from the other side. Throught the speaker, Ernst could hear an Nsync album at full volume. He was about to ask why on earth Hanschen would listen to them. And then the other would just claim it’s his roommate when Ernst knew that he lived alone.

Instead, Ernst sighed and maneuvered through the crowded courtyard. “Yeah. I’m heading back to my dorm right now. Why?”

“Did you get any new projects this week? Any new pieces?” Hanschen’s voice was happy, bubbly almost. He knew Hanschen was probably just doing this for some sort of dramatic affect. He did this often.

At least often enough for Ernst to realize. “Yeah, Hanschen. But I don’t think you’ll want to model for it this time. I mean-”

“Ernst!” Hanschen scoffed. His smirk was almost audible. “You’re not using a new model, are you? You’ve been using only me all semester!  Don’t start model cheating now!”

“No. Hanschen. It’s not that. I jus-”

“Well then it’s not some lame still life is it? God those are so boring. But you can still come over? The doors unlocked,” Hanschen chuckled, letting out a long sigh

Ernst bit his lip, wincing as he stood on the curb. He could just go across the rod and be right at his dorm. But instead, the words slipped from his lips. “I guess, I mean-”

“Good, be over soon. I’m bored.”

A completely heterosexual muse who makes your heart skip a few beats when you enter his apartment. The music was now changed to some shitty indie band he knew Hanschen didn’t really like.

“Hanschen, I’m-”

“Ernst, you’re home!” Hanschen’s voice called from the kitchen from around the corner, the blond came sliding in on his socks. “I didn’t have any classes today so I’ve just been waiting for you to come over all afternoon,” As he spoke, he began to pull Ernst’s hoodie off of his scrawny body, throwing that along with his bag to the couch. He had absolutely no time to even speak before Hanschen was back to speaking. “Anyway, how was your day? What’s your project for this week?”

Ernst attempted to shrug it off, acting like it wasn’t tearing apart his brain, “It’s stupid really.”

“Ernst, what is it?!” Hanschen begged, tugging at Ernst hand. That small touch sent electric shocks down his spine. This feeling was all too new.

“It’s a body study. Just a close up study of a part of the body….”

Hanschen smirked, taking Ernst by the wrist and tugging him to sit on the couch. Instead of looking at Hanschen, who was looking over Ernst with huge blue eyes, the brunette let his gaze wander to the huge bay windows showing the entire city beneath them. “Why did that take you so long, what do you want me to do? Arm? Leg?”

“Well actually, I was thinking, maybe,” Ernst swallowed hard, his sweaty hands running over his jeans over and over again. “Well, how do you feel about back?”

Before he had to be asked, Hanschen’s tee shirt was off, thrown back over the back of the seat. “I love it! It can be bare, right?”

Immediately, a blush raised to Ernst’s already flushed cheeks. “I mean, you don’t have to but….” His words became quiet as Ernst let his eyes finally move to Hanschen, who’s back was turned to the other. “Your…back….”

A small, callused hand moved to Hanschen’s spine. Small dots of freckles covered the expanse of pale skin. “What about it?”

“They’re like….stars…”

Hanschen chuckled, shrugging as Ernst’s fingers ghosted across his shoulder bones. He was also feeling sick. Maybe nerves. But why on earth would a touch he felt so often make him feel like this?

“Really? I never thought about that way,” Hanschen chuckled. He turned, as he did Ernst’s touch trailed to his side. Until the two were face to face. And only inches apart.

“Ernst?” Hanschen’s voice came out in a tiny whimper. All of the blood in his body seemed to rush to his head, making him too dizzy to think.

But not to dizzy to see the huge brown eyes staring back at him, doe like. “I have to go!”

Before Hanschen could think about anything that had just happened, Ernst was standing and tugging his hoodie back on.

“Wait, Ernst!” He called out, standing for only a moment before losing his balance and almost tumbling over onto the coffee table. “Where are you going?”

“I. Have. To. Go.”

And Ernst was gone, the door slamming behind him. Just like that, Hanschen was alone again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm reading all of my older fics and realizing how much i hate this. but anyway. Here it is. The original challenge was posted on tumblr @otp-imagines-cult and these fics were originally on my tumblr @likeinlxtin


	3. Day Three: The Reveal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Hanschen is fed up with being ignored and tackles the boy he loves.

**_Ernst, are you alright?_ **

The text was sent a week ago. And still no reply.  He hadn’t even bothered to read it. The message just sat on Hanschen’s screen, on ‘sent’ for eight days.

And he couldn’t fucking stand it.

He was sitting on his bed, not finding the energy to peel himself out of the covers once more. Hanschen began to regret buying himself a king sized bed, because now he was completely swimming between the blankets that had suddenly became too thick. And all he could feel was nothing. Just the empty expanse of bed to his left and right.

He had felt so lonely he just wished-

No. No. Why was he thinking this? About one of his best friends even

His best friend who still hadn’t replied. Maybe he was ignoring Hanschen, pretending he wasn’t there. This upset the still half asleep young man. After leaving his apartment in such a weird way, and in such a hurry too. He had nearly knocked over Hanschen’s table on his way out.

But now, an entire week later, Hanschen hadn’t a single lick of contact. Not a call. Not a text. At school, on the days Hanschen had bothered getting up and attending a class, Ernst was like a shadow. He avoided Hanschen. He had to have been. Before, the two had crossed paths most days, heading from lecture to lecture. But now Ernst had almost disappeared. Purposefully disappeared.

Hanschen found himself typing out a text before he even realized the phone was in his hand.

**_Ernst, are you ignoring me?_ **

And another.

**_Please answer. You haven’t spoken to me in a week._ **

And another.

**_Ernst, I don’t know what’s going on. And I hate not knowing things._ **

Hanschen’s heartbeat began to pick up, loudly pounding in his ear.

**_I miss you ._ **

Nothing. No reply. So Hanschen waited. He sat upright in the same tee shirt he wore yesterday waiting. Finally, there was a slight shift on the screen.

**Seen at 12:45 ✔**

If Hanschen thought his heart was beating fast earlier, now is was absolutely racing. He felt as if his chest was going to crack open under all of this pressure.

He was sure it was already starting to. Something was starting to crack anyway.

Apparently, the thrumming of his heart was loud and fast enough to move his body without him thinking. In a matter of what felt like seconds, he was running down the stairs of his apartment building with sweatpants pulled on hastily, his shows half tied, and a sweater he was fairly certain belonged to Ernst.

A taxi would have only slowed him down, the blond decided as he peeled down the streets, through the crowds. Right turn. Left turn. Slight right. Through parking lot. Up stairs. Past security. Up to the dorms. Oh thank God, the door was propped open. He didn’t have the passkey to get in.

Dorm C room 6. There it was. Right in front of his eyes. But he couldn’t bring himself to raise his fist and just knock. But he should. He had to. He was sweaty and out of breath, but he didn’t run a mile and a half for nothing.

Ernst Robel wasn’t nothing.

He knocked.

It took Ernst, who was in a pair of boxers and tee shirt Hanschen had lent him, 45 seconds to answer the door. And it took Hanschen 3 seconds to see his puffy red eyes, take in his tear stained cheeks, and tackle him to the ground.

Dirty clothes and sketchbooks broke their fall. But Ernst didn’t have to worry about that. He was practically being cradled at this point, with Hanschen’s arms around him tightly and his head resting beside Ernst’s. Yet all that could be seen of it was a mass if unbrushed blond hair.

It then took Ernst 25 seconds of laying there to bury his red race in Hanschen’s shoulder and begin to cry.

The tears were bitter, hard, and fast. They soaked through Hanschen’s borrowed sweater in moments. But the younger man’s sobs and whimpers were muffled by it too as a large hand moved up to run callused fingers through his hair.

“Ernst?”

No reply. Just Ernst tightening the embrace.

“Ernst, I miss you,” Hanschen stated. He stared up at the ceiling for only a moment before the words he had ran here to say fell from his lips. “I like you, Ernst Robel. I really do.” Ernst began to sit up. Hanschen followed suit, so now the pair were sat on the dorm room floor with Ernst between Hanschen’s legs and the older man’s arms still solidly around his torso. “Like. Not how you think it is. In a different way. I still want to be your best friend, but I also want to kiss you.”

Silence filled the air once Hanschen’s explanation faded off. Terror ran through his bones. Was Ernst going to make him leave? Was he never going to see this face again?

“I like you too, Hanschen,” A tiny, tear stained voice muttered.

Hanschen’s face broke into a smile as he let his hands move to cradle either side of Ernst’s face. “Then why on earth would we keep on pretending we don’t?”

Ernst then dissolved to tears once more. But this time, the tears were accompanied by a gentle smile.

“Hanschen Rilow. Never let me do something that dumb again “


	4. Day Four: First Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanschen finally gets a date and he doesn't think to check the wheather channel.

He shouldn’t be sick. He shouldn’t be nervous. And he shouldn’t be throwing up. He definitely shouldn’t be throwing up.

Ernst had been over to Hanschen’s before. A million and one times before. He knew everything about Hanschen’s apartment, almost more than he knew his own dorm room. So why now? Why on earth did the thought of being with Hanschen Rilow cause him to be kneeling over the dorm toilet for half an hour?

“Are you quite done yet, Ernst?” Melchior’s voice sighed from outside of the stall. “I can’t wait all afternoon for you to stop.”

Ernst spit a few mores times before flushing and standing. “Yeah. I’m alright.” He wiped his mouth with the toilet paper. “I’m….fine.”

As soon as the stall door was unlocked, Melchior leaned in with a concerned face. “Ernst, what’s wrong? Are you sick?”

“No….Just….Nerves.”

Ernst pushed past his dormmate and tore down the hall as quick as he could. Before, that is, stopping to vomit in a nearby trashcan.

—

“I need a nap, and an ativan,”  Hanschen muttered, attempting to push his hair into place for the thousandth time.

He moved from his hallway to his kitchen, the blond tired to look away from the huge mirror in the hall. Don’t look back, he thought to himself, you’ll only critique  it more and-

He turned back, his gaze tracking back over his reflection. Another cringe. Was this too much? Maybe he should lose the dress shirt. Or untuck it. No, who untucks his dress shirt?  

He should go and change.  Maybe a new shirt. New pants. Not these dumb fucking khakis that make him look like a 40 year old divorcee looking to become a sugar daddy.

Or maybe he should just cancel this date.

What was he thinking when he asked Ernst out. The poor kid was still sobbing when Haschen had asked him. Yeah, he had a crush on Ernst bigger than Alaska. But maybe this was wrong.

Maybe things would be better if they stuck to friends. Or just back to nothing.

No he couldn’t stand being nothing.

He should just call and say he’s sic-

The buzzer rang loudly. Oh shit. It’s six already.

—

“Oh god I’m so sorry,” Hanschen grumbled, slumping forward. He helplessly rested his forehead on the steering wheel of his BMW. “I should have checked the weather before we left.”

The rain was pouring down now. Thirty minutes ago, when they left, there was just a few clouds in the sky. And now, the moment they get out to just the right spot in the countryside that Hanschen had picked out last night, it was raining. Not just raining. DRENCHING everything in sight.

Not the best idea to have a picnic on a first date. Not like this.

“Well, I  there’s always other options, Hanschen,” Ernst shrugged optimistically. He had been pretty quiet the whole ride down, nervously playing with his jeans, which were so dangerously tight they made keeping his eyes on the road hard for Hanschen.

No. No. No. He’s your best friend.

Well, this is a date, after all. A failure of one at that. “Like what? He groaned, his forehead still resting it on the wheel.

A gentle hand moved to  his shoulder, pulling him from his bitter desperation. “Well, we’re parked here. Might as well stargaze!”

A scoff came out of Hanschen’s throat. His words were condescending even though he didn’t mean them to be. “How on earth do you plan to do that, Ernst? You can’t even see the sky.”

“Well, then it’s raingazing,” Ernst smiled, undeterred as he pressed the button to roll the cover off of the sunroof. Now moonlight shove through the glass and flooded the back seats with grey light, filtered through the raindrops and clouds.  

“What’s raingazing?!” The blond rolled his eyes before watching Ernst clumsily climb from the passenger seat to the back seats. His movements were awkward and rigid.

And Hanschen would be damned if he didn’t feel himself falling for that giraffe sitting in his back seat. He paused only a moment before climbing after him.

“Wait, Hansi,” Ernst put his hands out, gesturing his date to freeze as he clambered over the seat awkwardly.

“Yes, Ernst?”

The brunette smiled, a blush on his cheeks glowing a rose color under pale skin illuminated by moonlight. “Turn on the radio,please.”

After turning around and putting on the local 90s alt rock station Ernst had programmed into his car (and he actually sort of enjoyed), Hanschen crashed into the seat beside Ernst.

“It’s so pretty,” Ernst murmured, leaning back so he was curled up across the back seat of the car.

“What is?” The older asked. Ernst rested his head in Hanschen’s lap, big brown eyes staring up at the rain hitting glass above them. “The rain?”

Ernst only nodded. His stomach was already erupting into butterflies and he had found himself grinning so widely his face hurt. He only hoped Hanschen wounded noticed as he played with Ernst’s soft brown waves.

But of course he noticed. And he hoped he’d see Ernst this happy often from now on.

But just, maybe not as nervous. He wasn’t a fan of pulling over to let Ernst vomit on the drive back home.


	5. Day Five, Reminder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ernst keeps a drawing of Hanschen in his wallet and Hanschen keeps a....pebble....?

Ernst kept the drawing in his wallet. Tucked into the pocket where a credit card would normally go. Carefully folded so it would fit but not wrinkle. The pencil was faded and worn, but the picture was still clear.

It was the same one Ernst had drawn the day he met Hanschen, sitting across from him in a crowded Starbucks. He had torn it from his sketch book, finding it so hard to actually turn it. He got an F on that assignment, yes. But he kept the drawing of the boy he barely knew. For a while, it just stayed on Ernst’s bedside table. He wasn’t sure what quite to do with it.

He didn't want to throw it away. It was technically useless now. Just a piece of paper he had laying around his room. But as time creeped on, he wanted to see it more and more. And he wanted to throw it away less and less. 

He would look at it every once and awhile. It was pretty good for a twenty minute sketch. Just Hanschen sitting at the table, his gaze turned down to stare at his drink. Small waves of blond hair fell down into his eyes, slipping from the product he had put in. Not Ernst’s best technical work. The lines in his subject’s hands were all fucked up and his jaw in the drawing did no justice to the real thing.

But it was, to him, the best thing he had ever drawn.

It was when Melchior noticed it and then let out a chuckle asking,” You never turned in that picture of Hanschen?” When Ernst became embarrassed.

He had to hide it. So the wallet was a perfect hiding place.  And there it stayed. He unfolded it every so often to gaze down at the moment captured on time. But for the most part, it remained there, a tiny square in the cheap leather wallet that made Ernst smile when he remembered he was carrying it with him everywhere he went.

Hanschen could never know. And Ernst would never think of letting him know. He kept it in a more hidden pocket in his wallet, not one that anyone could randomly spot it in. 

It was almost like having Hanschen in his pocket every time he left his dorm room. But it’s nowhere close to as good as the real thing.

—

Ernst had picked up the rock when the pair had gone to the river. The brunette had his ratty jeans rolled up to his knees as he waded in the shallow and clear water. He skipped rocks over the waves, making tiny sploosh noises along with gentle giggles. Hanschen, on the other hand, had climbed to the top of the huge rocks beside the shore.

They had to drive almost three hours to get out of the city they lived in. Ernst had been the one who thought of going on the little roadtrip to go hiking. And Hanschen couldn't have been happier that he agreed to come along. 

As the law major stood proudly atop the rocks like it was his own personal Everest, he heard splashing. He turned to see Ernst padding his wet feet up the rocky shore and to the base of Hanschen’s expedition point. “Hansi! Hansi! Look!”

“What is it, love?” Hanschen called down, peering over the side. Ernst stood there, holding up what looked like a small grey speck.

Ernst began and awkward ascent up the rock to meet with Hanschen at the top. He had rosy cheeks and the grey speck from his fist, eager to show his boyfriend what sat inside.

It was a stone. A small stone. A dark grey color and almost perfectly circular in space. Like it was straight out of God’s cookie cutter. It was also smooth when Hanschen was handed it. Not a single dent or bump. Probably worn down from years of sitting in these waters.

“It’s the most perfect skipping rock on the planet!” Ernst marveled with his fingers tracing the rocks surface as it sat in Hanschen’s palm.

“Then go skip it, you dork!” Hanschen snickered, pushing the small stone towards his boyfriend before Ernst pushed it right back into his hand, carefully wrapping Hanschen’s fist around it.

“No,” The younger whispered with a smile. “I want you to have it, Hanschen. It’s too perfect.”

It wasn’t until a week later, when the stone fell from his pocket while he was changing, that Ilse got hand of it. She didn’t hesitate to pick up what had become Hanschen’s good luck charm. After hearing that it was a present from Ernst, Ilse wasted no time taking to her room and going to work drilling a hole through it.

A thin leather string looped through the rock, which was in a near permanent fixture around Hanschen’s neck.


	6. Day Six, New to the Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Rilow's adore Ernst. The Robel's don't want anything to do with him. And Hanschen isn't having any of that. 
> 
>  
> 
> (warning: homophobia, abuse, past recollection of violence. based on the original The Dark I Know Well where Ernst had a verse (thanks spring awakening wikia))

Ernst knew it was coming. He had known it was coming when Hanschen had insisted that he be ‘properly introduced’ to the Rilows. That went well. Swimmingly, as Frau Rilow would have said. The pair couldn’t have loved Ernst anymore if he was their own son. And not dating their son.

Even Thea liked him, loved him to be exact. She talked his ear off about cosmetology school and practically begged her older brother to marry him. By they left, Ernst had practically became Ernst Rilow.

But this only meant that the next weekend, as Ernst laid in Hanschen’s unmade bed watching America’s Next Top Model, a voice rang from the hallway.

“Ernie! Are you awake?”

“Yeah?!” Ernst grumbled back in reply, pulling the blanket up to his chin to hide his bare chest.

Hanschen came pushing through the doorway, hair still wet from the shower he just got out of. “Ernst, my mother just called. She said she loved to invite you to dinner on Tuesday. How does that sound?”

Ernst shrugged as the blond crawled over the sheets, crashing down beside his boyfriend. “Sounds lovely, Hanschen. I’d love to.”

There was a long pause in conversation. Hanschen’s eyes moved up and down Ernst’s body before continuing with slow caution, “Ernst, when will you introduce me to your parents?”

Oh no. Here it was. Time to drop the bomb.

“I don’t know, Hanschen..” Ernst chimed, biting his lips nervously. “I haven’t really ever…well you see…”

A larger hand moved to Ernst’s own,” Ernst, you can tell me if there’s something wrong.”

“I haven’t spoken to my parents in years.”

Hanschen gasped, not looking at Ernst intensely. “What? What do you mean they haven’t spoken to you?”

“When I was seventeen, my brother found my sketchbook,” Ernst turned a soft pink, his eyes now downcast to the floor. “At the time I drew a lot of men in… compromising positions. He showed me mom and basically outed me to my whole family while I was at Bible camp.”

“You’re kidding, right?” This was the first time he had heard Ernst’s coming out story. And it was hardly as perfect as he imagined it.

Ernst just seemed so carefree and had no signs of repression or anger. Hanschen had just assumed his family supported him. But this story was real. Hanschen could tell by the tears in the brunette’s eyes. “When I got home I…they…they all cornered me. I was attacked really. They said I could either stop being gay or I could leave.” Ernst lifted his chin, looking his boyfriend in the eye once more. “So, I left.”

“Just left,” Haschen marveled, his fingers intertwining with the other’s effortlessly. “That’s so brave of you, Ernst. You’re really courageous for doing that.

Ernst just shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal. Which it totally was. “My sister still talks to me. She visits a lot actually. Tells me about everything that goes on with mom and dad and my brother’s. She-”

“Get in the car.”

Huge brown eyes looked up at Hanschen with confusion. “What?”

“Get dressed and get in the car, we’re going to visit your parents!”

“I don’t think that’s the best idea!” Ernst pleaded, standing. But it was too late. Haschen was already digging through their closet, picking out a shirt of his for Ernst to wear.

“Of course it’s not,” Haschen scoffed before throwing his boyfriend the tee shirt. “But I’m going to meet Herr Robel if it’s the last thing I do. I’ll be waiting in the car.”

—

“Maybe we should turn around and go home.”

“Ernst Robel, we just drove three hours. We’re going to meet your fucking parents.”

Ernst knew Hanschen was stubborn. He often loved that about him. But here, parked in the suburbs half a block away from his childhood home, Ernst could do without it. The ride there was awkward. Mostly Ernst begging to turn around, repeating over and over again that his parents would refuse to see him.

 Haschen had kept repeating, “Then I’ll make them speak to you. They’re your parents after all.”

But here they were. Stuck on repeat as Ernst sweated bullets in the May sun. “Hansi, you don’t understand. They really won’t speak to me. We should just go home. Please.”

Hanschen shook his head, reaching to pull the key from the ignition. “Ernst. You haven’t seen them in four years. Things have changed. Let’s go in there and make them accept you for who you a-”

“Haschen,” Ernst’s voice said firmly as his hand shot out to grab the blond’s wrist. For a moment, the two sat in shocked silence before Ernst took a deep breath and stated in a shaky voice. “My dad… He’s…He was abusive.”

The air in the car went silent. Neither young man dared to move. They just stared at each other in frozen shock at Ernst’s reveal. Finally, Hanschen shifted back, his eyes staring out at the road ahead in shock. “What?”

“He…he used to yell at my sister. Call her stupid and fat and ugly anytime he drank.” Ernst began to explain. His voice was shaky and weak. “And… Well…As we got older he got more physical. And he stopped needing alcohol to act that way. All it took was me not putting away a dish or leaving my socks on the bathroom floor or her wearing a skirt he didn’t like.”

Hanschen fought the urge to reach out and touch Ernst. He looked fragile, like he was made of glass and would fall apart any moment. He continued, his voice breaking as he went. “The night that I left…he came at me. Punching and biting and kicking. I was bleeding when he came at me with a knife and my mom managed to stop him.”

That’s when Hanschen sprang forward. He wrapped muscular arms around Ernst’s wiry frame and let the younger boy bury his face in Hanschen’s shoulder. The artist’s fingertips dug into Hanschen’s back as the two held each other like they were about to go into war. Hanschen thought of what would have happened if Herr Robel succeeded. That only caused him to hold Ernst even closer, thankful that he hadn’t lost the thing he loved the most in this life.

After a minute of silent embrace, Haschen pulled away. “Come on,” He muttered kindly as fingers ghosted across Ernst’s cheeks. “Let’s go surprise them with how amazing you turned out without their help.”

“Hanschen if my father hurts you, i-”

“Your idiot father will not lay a hand on you with me near, alright?” Haschen cooed. Ernst’s face was now being held between his hands softly and tilted up to look at him.

Ernst nodded before moving his hands to Hanschen’s shirt, wringing and wrinkling his chest. “I’m not worried about me. If he hurts you…”

Hanschen scoffed in reply, “I can take that ass. He’s not hurting anyone today I promise you.”

The pair knocked on the front door together, their free hands intertwined at their sides. As the door opened, Herr Robel was greeted by two faces, one familiar and one not so much. And their two voices spoke at once the moment the door swung fully ajar.

“Hi, Herr Robel. I’m Hanschen Rilow, Ernst’s boyfriend. And I will gladly fight anyone to the death for him.”

“Hey, dad.”


	7. Day Seven, Laughter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanschen is short, grumpy, and can't do anything himself. Ernst is a tall nerd who tickles him too much.

Ernst was shaken from his painting session by a loud crashing noise. He snapped from his almost trance like state, looking around the guest room Hanschen had gladly converted to studio when he moved in. The noise had come from the living room, travelling through the open door to Ernst and his easel.

“Hanschen?” He called out as he stood and wiped his hands on his already dirty shorts. The only reply he heard was a loud and exhausted groan.

Upon entering, Ernst saw that their living room had became a scene from some sort of Renaissance painting. The room was large, high ceilings, pristine white walls, large bay windows. And a bookshelf with an entire shelf split to the ground. Haschen lay on the ground with leather bound novels on the ground all around him. Beside him, a stool with a leg snapped in two.

This was gorgeous. It truly told a story.

“Hanschen?!”  Ernst chuckled as he approached the scene of disaster. “What on earth happened?”

“You put my law books on the top shelf, asshole!” Haschen boomed at the paint splattered man standing above him. He sat up, pushing the books that had fell on top of him to the floor with the others. “Then this stupid fucking stool broke! Why do we even have this dumb thing?!”

Ernst’s laughter did not stop. He was practically bent over in loud laughter now. “Hanschen, you could have asked me to get it! I was just in the other room.”

“You were painting, Ernst. I wouldn’t interrupt you during your painting. Besides,” Hanschen shakily stood. “I thought I could reach it.”

“You obviously can’t.”

The blond sat glared, rolling his eyes before scoffing, “Oh shut up, you giraffe. We can’t all be six foot fucking four inches.” He grumbled.

Ernst looked up at the shelves, seeing that Hanschen hadn’t even reached the top shelf. He had completely knocked down the one right below it. “Dear, do you want me to get those?” He asked politely before pointing up at the textbooks. Hanschen didn’t say a word, but Ernst went on anyway, getting on his tip toes and reaching up to pull the book down.

Upon being handed the textbook, Hanschen continued to glare. His blue eyes cast to the ground and he sulked to the couch. Ernst just watched him with his lower lip jutted out in a pout. He began to sulk, tucking his knees to his chest.

“Hanschen,” Ernst cooed in a gentle voice. He walked behind the couch, watching as Hanschen pretended to ignore him. “Hansi, I’m sorry.” He muttered. He bent down over the back of the couch, placing a kiss on the side of his boyfriend’s face.

Still nothing.

Hanschen looked down at the open book in his lap. He still acted like Ernst wasn’t there as he whined. “Hansi. Look at me!”

Hanschen was like a stone statue. Looking at the book and not even reading with a hurt expression. But Ernst knew what to do to make him crack.

First it was subtle. He joined Hanschen on the couch, sitting so close he was nearly on top of him. Hanschen barely flinched. Then, Ernst went all in. His lips attached to Hanschen’s jaw, kissing sloppily as both of his hands moved to Hanschen’s stomach. Fingertips went to work in a flash, sneaking up through the bottom of his tee shirt and attacking the soft flesh.

“Ernst, what are you doing?!” Hanschen snickered, attempting to pull away from Ernst’s grasp. But Ernst had him practically pinned to the couch. “Let me o-oo-off!”

His voice broke and crack with wild giggles as Ernst’s fingers moved faster. Hanschen began to roll and twitch, his laugh echoing through the large room. Ernst pulled his lips away from Hanschen, who was moving far too much for him to continue kissing. “You gonna stop sulking, shortie?”

“I’m f-five ei-eight, asssho-ole!” Hanschen shouted brokenly between large burst of laughter. He was now rolling back and forth like a child, kicking and flailing his textbook to the ground. “Stop! Stop!”

The cries fell upon deaf ears as Ernst continued his torture, nearly being kicked in the face in the process. “I love your laugh, Hansi,” He teased, snickering at his blond boyfriend’s reaction to his touch. His lips moved back to their place on Hanschen’s neck, sending even more sensation through his body.

“ERNST! ERNST!” He squealed out finally, going limp under the younger boy’s fingertips. “I’m gonna pee! I’m about to pee!”

Ernst finally eased back, his fingers freezing on their position under Hanschen’s shirt. “You’re all red, dear.”

“No…thanks…to you…” Hanschen panted out. “You’re the worst, Ernst.”

Ernst smirked down at Hanschen caught his breath. “I know you don’t think that, lovely.”

Hanschen paused for only a moment, focusing in on the feeling of Ernst’s fingers, now rubbing small circles on his pale stomach. The simple touch made his heart race before he jumped forward, hungrily pulling Ernst into a kiss.

“Hanschen!” The brunette stammered. “I have to get back to paintin-”

Hanschen’s mouth swallowed the sound, his fingers already tugging at the other man’s curly strands of unbrushed hair. “Not just yet…”

Ernst settled into the comfortable couch, pulling Hanschen closer by the collar of his shirt. He was perfectly content with spending the afternoon here with Hanschen on top of him. That was until he felt a familiar hand sneak up into his own shirt, very similar to only a few moments ago.

“OH YOU A-ASSHO-OLE!” Ernst managed to scream through his loud laughter.


	8. Day Eight, First Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Ernst is afraid to kiss Hanschen at first, then calls him at two in the morning.

“I had an amazing time, Hansi!” Ernst chimed as the couple approached the entrance to his dorm. As their third date drew to a close, Hanschen found himself inching ever closer to the other. His plan was already hatching in his mind. “Really. Thank you so much for taking me. I’ve never been to the zoo before.”

“It was my pleasure, Ernst. I enjoyed seeing you so happy,” As Ernst began to blush, the pair stopped at the door to dorm 6B. Only a few more moments now for Hanschen to put his plan into action. “I’ll see you tomorrow, right? Otto’s for game night.”

Ernst nodded, pulling out his key as it was already late and Melchior had probably already gone to bed. If he hadn’t been, they would have heard him blaring Abba through the door. His ‘thinking music’. “Yeah. I’ll be there. I guess I’ll see you then. Goodnight, Hanschen.”

“Goodnight, Ernst,” Hanschen replied smoothly before springing into action. He moved quickly and fluidly. He got on his tip toes, right hand calculated as it moved to Ernst’s cheek. He steadily guided Ernst down to him with his own mouth half open expectedly and his eyes already closed. It was when their lips were less than an inch apart that the plan dipped south.

“I’m sorry,” Ernst’s breath ghosted across Hanschen’s lips. No. Please. Just close the gap. One more centimeter. But Ernst moved farther away. He backed up, staring at Hanschen with big shocked eyes. No, he didn’t look that shocked, maybe just….guilty.

Yeah. Guilty. He was shaking his head, looking like he had just seen a ghost. Or like Hanschen had pulled a gun on him instead of just trying to kiss him. “Ernst, are you.”

“No, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” Ernst looked from Hanschen, who was more surprised than anything, to the ground. He nervously ran a hand through his wavy hair over and over again. “I’m sorry, Hanschen but…But you….” He turned away quickly, his back to Hanschen as he fumbled to unlock the door. “You have to go. I’m sorry.”

“Have to go?” Hanschen sputtered, rushing forward and stepping between Ernst and the door, which he couldn’t seem to unlock with shaky hands. Finally, Ernst pushed the door open, stumbling past Hanschen and inside.

Ernst kept his back to his date, “I’m sorry. You have to leave.”

“Ernst, I was trying to-”

“Goodnight, Hanschen.”

The door slammed shut.

—

Ernst hadn’t stayed awake like this in years. He could remember laying awake like this years ago, when he first left home. But that was just because he couldn’t imagine sleeping without being harassed by his own mind .

Now, he knew why he was awake, staring at the ceiling in the darkness.  He couldn’t get the kiss-

No, almost kiss.

The almost kiss ran through his mind. He wasn’t sure how to react. He wanted to kiss Hanschen. He wanted to kiss Hanschen so badly it hurt. But here he was. Alone in his bed. Wondering why on earth he didn’t kiss him.

Ernst didn’t count his first kiss as a first kiss. He counted it as the weirdest most awkward excuse of a first time he ever lived. From a first kiss to sex in a matter of seconds in the back of a perfect stranger’s van at homecoming.

That couldn’t be his first kiss. But neither could Hanschen. What if that ended up to be just like the boy with the name he couldn’t recall. It can’t be like that. Not this time. Not ever.

He didn’t think it would be at least. Hanschen felt different. Really different. Like nothing he ever felt before. Like butterflies and chocolate milk and hot showers and late night road trips and petting a cat who missed you.

Like Hanschen Rilow.

He had to kiss him. He wasn’t going to let himself get hurt this time. And he wasn’t about to lay awake all night regretting stepping back.

He wasn’t about to keep on being afraid.

He’d been afraid of kissing boys for most of his life and he wasn’t going to let that carry on much longer.

“Hanschen? You picked up!” Ernst squeaked in surprise after hearing a mumble of ‘hello’ after seven rings.

“Oh course I picked up, you idiot,” Haschen groaned. “Now why are you calling me?”

Ernst hesitated. Still afraid of the repercussions of the next few words out of his mouth. “Can you come over and kiss me?”

The other end of the call went silent for a moment. Hanschen was shocked. Not as shocked as Ernst was, but still surprised. Ernst wasn’t sure if it was a pleasant surprise or not. “Oh,” Hanschen muttered after a long pause that had seemed like an eternity. “I’ll be over in ten minutes.”

“O-Okay,” Ernst hung up quickly, his adrenaline taking over his mind and body so he was nearly shaking. He looked across the room at the sleeping lump that was Melchior in his own bed. Poor Melchi didn’t want to see this.

Hell, Ernst wasn’t sure if he wanted to see it either. But he still tugged on a sweatshirt and shuffled out of the dorm building.

The night sky was clear, stars dotting the atmosphere like tiny candles. The moon was waning now, so most of the light came from the dim streetlights scattered about the pathways. And there Ernst was, sat on the steps of his dorm with knees drawn to his chest and chin tucked in.

He was alone. It was almost two am after all. But he only had to wait about eight minutes before a figure came nervously wandering down the cement path accompanied by slow, steady footsteps. Only eight minutes? He had to have sped.

“Ernst?” Hanschen’s voice called when he was a few feet away. The blond wore a tee shirt from his high school marching band, worn and baggy, along with sweatpants and a nervous face. “What are you doing out here?”

“I couldn’t sleep,” He breathed out as Hanschen sat beside him on the step without hesitation. With a quick pause, Ernst continued to explain. “I couldn’t sleep because I kept thinking about earlier. Can how I….We….I didn’t….” He didn’t breath for a moment, just stared at the stars above them. “I didn’t kiss you. I was too afraid.”

Hanschen moved to look the other dead on, taking Ernst’s hand between both of his.  “Ernst, why on earth were you afraid.”

“That’s not the point. I’m not afraid anymore. And I’m not going to be afraid again.” Ernst quickly became breathless. His eyes moved from their hands clasped together to Hanschen’s confused but happy face. “Hanschen…I’ve been….scared,” Ernst interrupted himself with a scoff that turned into a chuckle of disbelief, “I’ve been scared to kiss the people I’ve wanted to kiss for….all of my life. That ends tonight.”

The taller nodded gleefully, his eyes flickering around Ernst’s face. He preferred their first kiss be like this. Not sloppy and unexpected in a hallway after a date, with brushed hair and cliche lines. No, he wanted this. He wanted it awkward and beautiful in the middle of the night with unbrushed messy hair and pajamas and sweaty hands and blushing cheeks.

“Are you sure, Ernst?”

“Kiss me, Hanschen Rilow.”

Shaky hands moved to the side of Ernst’s face, the tips of his fingers twirling and playing with the wisps of hair sticking out around Ernst’s ears. It was slow, dreadfully slow. The two moved ever closer at a snail’s pace with their eyes slipping closed as they did. Breath’s became hesitant and shallow up until the two pairs of lips met in the middle.

It was nervous. With noses bumping and heads tilting the wrong way and Ernst’s hands fumbling to find a spot between the back of Hanschen’s neck and chest.

And it was absolutely perfect.

Ernst was the first to pull away, only to catch his breath, which was coming out in little streams of steam. "Holy heck...." He whispered under his breath as Hanschen watched his two AM partner's eyes stare back at him with wild gidddiness. "That was...." He let out an airy giggle. "Wowie."

"Yeah...Same...." Nodded Hanschen in reply. Without any intention, his hands moved up to knit in Ernst's messy waves. Again, the other boy let out a little giggle. his arms flew around Hanschen's neck and he yanked the blond into another fond kiss. This one was sloppy and messy and their noses got into the way and their mouths broke into little smiles part of the way through and neither of them wanted to be anywhere else but  right there. 


	9. Day Nine, Thirdwheeling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanschen and Ernst should not be allowed to 'study' together.

When Ernst had invited Hanschen over, it was under the premise of an innocent cramming session before the big exam. Ernst had laid out everything he thought they’d need. Highlighters, snacks, note paper. But it was evident when Hanschen entered Ernst’s dorm that it wasn’t exactly what he had in mind.

Hanschen walked in with his face flushed pink, already half hard and completely willing to forgo any studying.

Only five minutes later, the pair were making out like horny teenagers. Forgetting the exam entirely. The two lay on the floor beside Ernst’s tiny bed, falling off of the twin mattress earlier and hadn’t bothered to do anything. Far too caught up in each other.

“Hansi,” Ernst’s voice came out barely above a whimper. And Hanschen ate it up, hungry lips moving from his boyfriend’s mouth to his neck, where new bruises joined old ones from a few days ago. “Hanschen…We shouldn’t…M-Melchior is going to be home soon.”

Hanschen pulled away for only a moment, his lips still hovering over Ernst’s skin and expelling hot breath as he chuckled. “It’s okay, I can be fast.”

“I don’t want fa-ast…” Ernst protested, eliciting the small moan Haschen had been trying to coerce out. “H-Hanschen!”

The frailer boy managed to push Hanschen off of him, tearing away the mouth from his collar bone. He spoke smoothly as the two sat up, the blond still hovering over him like a vulture to a dying animal. Just waiting for him to cave in. “Listen, Melchior goes to Moritz’s apartment after his last class. He’ll just come by and grab his things and go. Then we can-”

“Or,” Injected Hanschen as his hands began to tug at the bottom of Ernst’s hoodie. “We could just let him walk in and see what happens.”

Before Ernst could reply, Hanschen was tugging playfully at his hair and pulling his bottom lip between his teeth. “H-Hans…” He muttered before being pulled right back and kissed breathless. This continued for some time. Hanschen snuck a hand up Ernst’s hoodie, Ernst would whimper and swat the hand away, repeating over and over that Melchior would be there any moment. But still, they both jumped when there was the sound of the door unlocking, pulling the two apart.

“Ernst, are you here?” His voice called as the pale boy threw the door open. Big green eyes trailed to the two boys scuttling apart on the floor and Melchior let out a sigh. “Oh, hi there Hanschen.”

“Afternoon, Melchi!” The blond stood, quickly fixing his hair before smiling up at Melchior. “What are you doing here?”

Melchior let out a sigh that made him sound a bit like a disappointed substitute teacher. “I live here, Hanschen. What are you doing here?”

Trying to fuck your dorm mate. “We were studying for my exam tomorrow.”

“Looks like a lot of studying got done,” The words seeped out like sarcastic honey as Melchior bent down to pick up the discarded textbook on the floor. He then silently made his way to his own bed and threw his bag to the ground. “I hope you don’t mind if I stay here. This is half my dorm room after all….”

Ernst shrugged, pulling him back onto his bed and attempting to fix the sheets. “Not at all, Melchi. But I thought you said you were going to Mortiz’s.”

“Moritz is sick. Wendla is busy. Georg is on a date. So I’m in for the night. That’s not a problem, is it?”

“Not at all!” Ernst stammered, attempting to cover the proof of what had happened only a few moments ago. “We’ll just go back to erm…studying.”

And that’s what they tried to do. They really did. But it just turned into the two sitting side by side on a bed staring at Hanschen’s notes blindly. Ernst did his best to pay attention to what he was reading, But Hanschen wouldn’t let him. Not just yet. He did anything he could to get Ernst’s attention and took any excuse to touch him.

Whether it was his hand lingering when he asked for a highlighter, or slightly brushing Ernst’s shoulder with his hand, he was doing his best to make sure that Ernst knew he would be touching him much more if they were alone. And he was intent on having his way eventually.

When Hanschen saw that Melchior was reading with his earbuds in, listening to YMCA on repeat, he practically lunged at Ernst. His hands quickly came to Ernst’s thigh, prying them apart so he could slide between them. “Hanschen, what are you-!” Ernst began to exclaim before the blond’s hand covered his mouth.

“Shhhh!” Hanschen hissed back. He moved his hand away from Ernst, who obeyed and remained silent, before pointing over to Melchior sitting in his bed. “He’s reading, Ernie. He’s in his own little world.”

Hanschen went quiet too, his lips capturing Ernst’s and pulling the art student closer while simultaneously trying to push him back into the mattress. “Are you kidding, Hanschen? If he looks over here he’ll-”

“Then just be so quiet he won’t bother to look,” Hanschen instructed, knowing full well that Ernst can’t be quiet to save his life. “Not a struggle, is it?” He began to kiss the underside of Ernst’s jaw.

Yes it is. “No it’s not.”

The kiss became heated in no time, filled with hands tugging at shirts and tongues and gentle bites. Hanschen was about an inch away from completely tearing off Ernst’s pants, hands sliding down over his boxers and-

“CAN YOU TWO FUCKING NOT?”

Before their blurry minds had time to process what was going on, Melchior was on his feet, staring down at the two with his hands on his hips. His face reeked of disappointment and exhaustion. “What?” Hanschen muttered, quickly moving his hands and mouth away from Ernst.

“I’m going to go get come nachos,” Melchior sighed as he pulled on his jacket. “I’ll be back in thirty minutes.  Be done by then please.”

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so so so much for reading! The original challenge was posted on tumblr @otp-imagines-cult and these fics were otiginally on my tumblr @likeinlxtin


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